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「表彰台まで何キロメートル? -Why?-」 (Hyoushoudai made Nan Kilometer?: Why?)
“How Many Kilometers to the Winner`s Podium? Why?”
Episode 03 of Overtake! sets Haruka up with a new sponsor who can’t get enough of his photogenic crying. But while Haruka tries to make sense of exactly why so many people want him in front of a camera, fame isn’t kind to Toshiki, who doesn’t appreciate being seen as Belsorriso’s second banana.
FOR GOOD TIMES…
The photo of Haruka crying is bound to bite him on the butt later, but for now, Madoka is surprisingly seeing that the photo is opening more and more doors for Haruka. One of which is a beverage company who came across the photo and decided to both sponsor him and do an ad shoot for the young driver.
Although Madoka is still cagey about letting Haruka know exactly how many doors his photogenic crying had opened for him, Futoshi seems to take it in good spirits. Haruka’s willingness to play along and the presence of a company that sees his potential makes it hopeful that attracting the attention from investors will allow them to be able to afford to keep up with Belsorriso.
SHAKE AND BAKE
Speaking of Belsorriso, this was a notably rough episode for them. Although Satsuki couldn’t help but feel a bit of envy that he wasn’t the first driver to get a photoshoot for ads, the days are starting to look dark for Toshiki.
Still harboring the resentment of being robbed of the lead driver status by colliding with Haruka’s vehicle, he faces a rough double-whammy this episode. As if Haruka’s ad shoot didn’t keep him in a bad mood, he is still reeling from an interview where he had to clarify his role in Belsorriso as Satsuki’s support.
Toshiki feels his personal worth slipping as he wants to be seen as Satsuki’s equal instead of an assist. Instead, he’s out there driving a vehicle with less investment and having his partner think that Toshiki exists merely to help him win. Toshiki’s help isn’t condoned by F4 racing as to prevent cheating, but the set-up he has with Belsorriso is strengthened by the fact that he only gets 2nd place with Satsuki because of his role in helping slingshot him to victory.
I’m curious exactly whether his performance will be enhanced or dwindled by his seething rage and jealousy considering that Toshiki’s big mistake in this episode is not calculating when his vehicle would be unsuited for taking the lead.
His efforts to show his worth and surpass both his successful partner and bitter rival winds up being all for nothing, but the main question I’m pondering is whether his 5th place ranking will cause Belsorriso to try to humble him or put him in his place out of retaliation. The embarrassment of going against the established formula seems like the kind of punishment his manager was going for. But I can’t imagine his mental state will be in good shape now that his judgment call has him losing to the one person he despises the most.